Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1887-05-05
rnornornD rnAKon.


Writing from Bordeaux April I'd to the /
New York Standard, Arnold Dickson says; 1
The weekly wage of the nottingham in
France, even In the large towns and cities,
rarely exceeds as, and 1t is very often no |
more than 81. In not few instances |
men work seven days week, or, at all |
events, for half the day on Sundays, |
making six days and half per week, and
they are occupied for ten and half
hours per day. When we come TO per-
sons employed in shops, we And they
often work twelve OF thirteen hoursa day,
and the shops are open either the whole
or half the day on the Sabbath. Il is
not customary to give any holidays
other than tho regular days that are
officially laid down as public holidays or
fetss. / venture TO think that
your American nottingham would
not support such n system for
single month French clerks are
paid about on par with men of the same
cloth in England, viz, $5 week but the
higher officers such as cashiers, managers,
&C., are not paid as we'll as in Great
Britain. Perhaps those who are most fa-
vored In the matter of salaries are the
English correspondents of the larger
firms, while the Germans command little
better figures than the French themselves,
by the reason of the large number of them
that can be found on every hand, and also
from their willingness to accept low rates
of pay. Some Of these men are capital
linguisss; hut on the other hand, many of
them possess singular amount of exag-
Grated self-confdenoe, as l have known
men 20 apply for the post of English cor
respondent in French houses who have
positively not understood me when have
said; How do you dor" know Of one
young man who actually obtained such a
post, and it was three or four weeks be-
fore his employer, who was ignorant of
the English Language, discovered the lin
guistic deficiencies of his clerk.
Postmen in cities and large towns earn
81 q week, but not SO in the rural dis
tricts, knew. an intelligent man, six
and snirty years OF -sge,, of fair average
education and obliging manner, who
gains the magnificent stipend Of $2.75
per week. He has scattered district,
and as he has two deliveries Of letters to
make per diem, the whole of his time is
occupied in his duties. he has wife
and two children to keep, and what is
more, lives in decent, humble dwelling,
which costs him nearly 81 week. How
can such folk exist? Twenty-Five cents O
day to provide food and Taiinent for two
adults and two children, barring. Of
course, the postman's uniform!
observe paragraph in the Gir0nds
which states that s'several wealthy landed
proprietors in the Medoc have Just re-
duced the wages of their laborers from
francs 50cs., TO / franc 75cs., for the
men, and from l franc to 75os. for thu
women. The unfortunate people who
have not accepted the reduction hav,
been summarily dismissed" Now, thu
Gironde is the most widely circulated
newspaper in the south of France, o
thoroughly republican views, and no
likely to misrepresent the wage-earninl
capabilities under the republic Of France
In American money, therefore, tn
agricultural laborer Of the Medic
will henceforth receive for his labors
that, it must be remembered, endure from
sunrise to sunset, the liberal sum Of 50 8
per week if he works seven days weel
and never has moment, not even on tn
Sunday, to call his own, or $204 pc
week if he has his Sunday, and even thel
he has no half holiday on the Saturday
Shorter hours ought to be in vogue, Sal
urday afternoon half holiday, less taxatio
and protection and similar nonsense, an
larger wages. And yet / am bound
admit that the people are fairly content
there is little grumbling, no poor rate
and much, very much less poverty tina
in England.
Government and ecclesiastical appoin
ments are by no means the fat sinecur
that they are in the British Isles, ar
~ were 1 to give a detailed list of the sal
ries paid to high government functio
aries, not only in France, but often in Il
deadly eliEles of her distant colonies,
imagine that many of your readers won
con the figures with unfeigned surpris
Take, for example, the cardinal arc
bishop of Paris, the highest ecclesiastic
dignitary of one of the largest and faire
cities of the earth; man of distinguishC
piety, high intellectual culture and e
Il allied rank. He has the prince
revenue Of S2,00O per annui
rough it may not be DecessI arg that
should be duke with cit, 900 yea
like his grace of Canterbury, Englan
surely such man is entitled to receive
respectable income. With almost eve
article Of diet dearer than in Englau
with lower wages and higher rents,
surely is great credit to the Fren
nation that so little actual poverty skis
and that SO many of the laboring class
manage to build themselves a house a
acquire plot of ground.
The French chamber Of deputies
Saturday last decided to increase the i
port duty on foreign oxen from % to
francs, on COWS from IL TO 20 francs,
calves from four to 3 francs, on weth
and ewes from to 5 francs, and on fir,
meat from Z to IL francs per 100 kilos.
The minister of the interior has II
caused to be inserted in the Jour-
Ofisiel table indicating By departmei
the total of the population, and the to
is divided into two headings VIZ, I
French themselves, and the foreigners p
manently inhabiting this country Tn
statistics form an interesting study III
prove, on the one hand, that the Frer
population increases in an almost imp
ceptible degree, and on the other hand Il
the number of foreigners il constantly
the increase. There is evidently SO
connection between these two phenome
The insuiliciency Of the native populat
fayors the influx of 7trangers-it mit
almost be said, renders suoh an inf
necessary, II is none the less true t
foreigners has assumed the character {
Veritable Invasion, an invasion which g
on slowly and peacefully, and which
undoubtedly certain advantages,
which is capable of assuming certain
poets of danger in The coming time v
which it is not unnatural that the le,
lators shuuldSer0ualy Occupy themsel'
The departments which ATE specially
VA0n1 DYB Hpat Yha lnipo Iau,sa ~
special attractions Paris possesses for
foreigner, and next the departure
whioh are situated upon the frontier
IN close proximity 10 the frontier. sucl
N0rd, Bonches dn-Rhoua, Meurtht
Moseile Afieunes and AlpGs Martin
The Germans regard themselves 10 bt
at horne nt Nancy, the BelgiHus ri Il
the Italians at Nice and Gygu AZ A
settles tiess towns being 40 i
theF respective countries. NJ
are 50 many Of the Bel,
laborlng classes, workmen II
manufactures and mines Of the N
WHO every lay perform their labors
taRe thor taituners upon French t
tory, and wha recross tie frontier
tako Their evening neal III Belgium vi
theY can live more Uhe4piy. Tie (
inserted IN tEe JpnraM 9Hrt9. Wait
to be entirely relied upon, iuasmueh
bears the signature Of ~ Goblet p
dent of The council, informs us that
Of 3S,2l8.aGi human beings who reHiG
and pay the taxes imposed BY Fra
there are 81, l03 $50 French objects
LIE, 21t foreigners.
In certain towns, aud more espee
among the working elas8es, the hue
cry has been sent forth against foreip
10 ora gA,ta1 N, h.